Comments on: My nook… and ebooks in general http://www.fireflyoftheearth.com/2010/02/22/my-nook-and-ebooks-in-general/ I've only got a finite amount of time, to reach equilibrium... Sat, 03 Dec 2011 10:42:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Lisana http://www.fireflyoftheearth.com/2010/02/22/my-nook-and-ebooks-in-general/comment-page-1/#comment-2928 Lisana Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:48:20 +0000 http://www.fireflyoftheearth.com/?p=411#comment-2928 Interesting post. I definitely agree with the whole not adding as much to the physical book collection that will have to be boxed up again at some point to move and then moved (especially since pro movers charge you by the pound!), and unpacked again. I have actually bought a few books that I already have physical copies of though, as they are ones that I read over and over (Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, for example), and while I'd happily give away my hard copies, @jevvim thinks I should hold on to them, and so I have. I definitely want to get Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books, as they are finally coming out in e-editions, but I feel they are asking too much right now and I hope to see the prices come down closer to paperback prices, for books that have been out over a decade, in some cases. I'm sad to see that the publishers are using the "Well, Apple is giving us this much, so we should get as much from you, Amazon" routine. There is a LOT less cost involved in distributing an e-book. No printing, no paper, no trucking them across country to bookstores, no housing them in warehouses. I don't think $10 is too ridiculous for a new novel available in hardcover, especially when B&N and Borders' bestsellers are often 20 - 40% off the cover price anyway. Books that have been out long enough to be brought out in paper, or that start paperbacks to begin with, should also have a more reasonable price. I cringe when I see $7.99 paperbacks, because when I was a kid they were $2.99 or $3.50, and I have some used sci fi and fantasy books that were originally $1.25 or so to start. As you say, time will tell with the prices. While the author quoted above may not be happy about what he gets from the sale of ebooks that he's written, that really seems like something that needs to be negotiated in his contract. Since most of the money made on the sales of ebooks is pure profit for the publisher, the writer should get a better cut on those sales. At least in my opinion! I agree with giving us the DRMless option, too. I would love to have my books on my Reader and my Kindle, without having to jump through all the hoops to strip the DRM and convert the book into the proper format for the device I want to use it on. (check out mobileread.net if you're interested in learning how to do the stripping and conversion). I heard there was something Disney(?) was working on about "KeyChest" content, not to lock something down, but to enable you to use that content on multiple devices that you own. I presume this was related to video content, but obviously it could be applied to e-books and other types of media as well. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/01/disney-keychest-drm-dece.html Okay, I think I've rambled enough. Definitely an interesting topic to discuss. Interesting post. I definitely agree with the whole not adding as much to the physical book collection that will have to be boxed up again at some point to move and then moved (especially since pro movers charge you by the pound!), and unpacked again.

I have actually bought a few books that I already have physical copies of though, as they are ones that I read over and over (Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books, for example), and while I’d happily give away my hard copies, @jevvim thinks I should hold on to them, and so I have. I definitely want to get Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time books, as they are finally coming out in e-editions, but I feel they are asking too much right now and I hope to see the prices come down closer to paperback prices, for books that have been out over a decade, in some cases.

I’m sad to see that the publishers are using the “Well, Apple is giving us this much, so we should get as much from you, Amazon” routine. There is a LOT less cost involved in distributing an e-book. No printing, no paper, no trucking them across country to bookstores, no housing them in warehouses. I don’t think $10 is too ridiculous for a new novel available in hardcover, especially when B&N and Borders’ bestsellers are often 20 – 40% off the cover price anyway.

Books that have been out long enough to be brought out in paper, or that start paperbacks to begin with, should also have a more reasonable price. I cringe when I see $7.99 paperbacks, because when I was a kid they were $2.99 or $3.50, and I have some used sci fi and fantasy books that were originally $1.25 or so to start.

As you say, time will tell with the prices. While the author quoted above may not be happy about what he gets from the sale of ebooks that he’s written, that really seems like something that needs to be negotiated in his contract. Since most of the money made on the sales of ebooks is pure profit for the publisher, the writer should get a better cut on those sales. At least in my opinion!

I agree with giving us the DRMless option, too. I would love to have my books on my Reader and my Kindle, without having to jump through all the hoops to strip the DRM and convert the book into the proper format for the device I want to use it on. (check out mobileread.net if you’re interested in learning how to do the stripping and conversion).

I heard there was something Disney(?) was working on about “KeyChest” content, not to lock something down, but to enable you to use that content on multiple devices that you own. I presume this was related to video content, but obviously it could be applied to e-books and other types of media as well. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/01/disney-keychest-drm-dece.html

Okay, I think I’ve rambled enough. Definitely an interesting topic to discuss.

]]>